Table for Five

by Susan Wiggs

In this reader-favorite tale, #1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs writes with heartwarming delicacy about life’s unexpected turns, and how family and love can help you find your way home.

Lily Robinson and Sean McGuire have nothing in common. She guards her independent lifestyle with a ferocity that hides a fear of love and the pain it can bring. He’s always been a rolling stone, making his own way. But with the sudden deaths of a couple close to them both, the two become joined in grief and a knowledge that they must step up and care for the three orphaned children.

With little more than hope and dedication, these five embark on a cross-country road trip filled with the ups and downs, the joys and frustrations that make up a family. Along the way, Lily and Sean and these troubled children will discover that even when you’ve lost everything, love still remains.

Originally published in 2005.



Includes an exclusive excerpt from BETWEEN YOU AND ME by Susan Wiggs, coming soon from William Morrow!

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Family, Adult

496 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She serves as author liaison for Field's End, a literary community on Bainbridge Island, Washington, bringing inspiration and instruction from the world's top authors to her seaside community. (See www.fieldsend.org) She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. The Winter Lodge and Passing Through Paradise have appeared on PW’s annual "Best Of" lists. Several of her books have been listed as top Booksense picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book. Readers can learn more on the web at www.susanwiggs.com and on her lively blog at www.susanwiggs.wordpress.com.

Reviews

[Shiloh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story about grief. The main character, Lily, was interesting, but not relatable for me, but her story is well told and you understand why she is the way she is in the end. What I really loved about this book was the tone. It's very serious and awkward at first and it looms with sadness all the way until the end even though the family is moving on from their tragedy. It's not fake and magically happy just because it's now the last page of the book.
Also, unrelated to my review, I really liked reading all of the golf action. It made me want to take up golfing, and I know that's not really going to happen, so I watched the celebrity golf match on tv yesterday.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

TABLE FOR FIVE by Susan Wiggs hooked me right from the very first page and never let me go!
The characters just grabbed my heart and I was instantly emotionally invested in every single one of them. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad to the point of tears, the story pulls you in. Lily Robinson seems to have the perfect life, well to her anyway. She is a third grade teacher, has a lovely home that is perfect for her, has a fabulous best friend, and is planning to spend her summer in Italy. Hang on my friends, because Lily is about to learn some hard life lessons. Susan Wiggs has definitely become a favorite author of mine.

Not soon after TABLE FOR FIVE starts, tragedy strikes! Lily is devastated, depressed, and can’t believe what a mess life has become. She just wants to help Crystal’s kids and they are all taking it day to day, but she misses her best friend. Lily must reconcile her yearning to take care of the children and provide them with a safe haven, with a guarded distance to not become too emotionally attached. She must trust Sean, but how? This process of getting to know each other was slow and believable. The point of view is mostly Lily’s. We are not in Sean’s head and don’t see his grief as much as we see Lily’s, but his actions are amazing as he assumes responsibility for the children.

Sean and Lily become friends and nothing more. Or at least, that’s what they both believe at first. Lily wonders if she will be able to deal with Sean raising the kids even though their mom told Lily she wanted her to do it if anything ever happened to her and also fighting the desire to become more than friends with Sean. Lily has so much growing to do and it was a real joy to watch her come into her own. At first, Lily annoyed me with the way she quickly gave up and ran away, but I soon found myself cheering for her as I was reading. TABLE FOR FIVE is a fabulous story with very relatable characters and a plot that has many twists and turns. I still can’t believe how long I waited to read this story and now I will happily look up Susan Wiggs other books and read every last one of them. Susan Wiggs knows just how much information to put on each page to keep the reader flipping the pages and soon you will find yourself unable to put it down.

[Ns · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love appears in the most unlikely of places and people, and under the most tragic of circumstances in Susan Wiggs's novel, Table For Five. It is a compelling story about healing, living, and becoming a family in the most unconventional sense.

Strangers to one another Lily Robinson and Sean Maguire are two individuals living different lives, heading in different directions but interconnected by the people they love. Lily is Crystal Holloway's best friend, sharing a lifelong friendship built on trust and respect. Lily is a teacher, stable by nature, she is as practical as she is averse to relationships, and whose emotional vulnerability she protects by building walls. Sean Maguire is Derek Holloway's half brother, who is Crystal's ex-husband. His easy going, carefree nature and magnetism attracts many people into his life, but lacking from that life is something or someone meaningful.

An unthinkable tragedy unite Lily and Sean together, forever changing their lives. In the blink of an eye, Derek and Crystal's three children are left orphans. Cameron is a troubled young boy, Charlie is a confused child, and there is baby Ashley. Although, inexperienced when it comes to matters of parenthood, Sean is willing to give it his all including putting aside his career to embrace his new life as the children's guardian. Lily must reconcile her yearning to take care of the children and provide them with a safe haven, with a guarded distance to not become too emotionally attached.

As the dynamics of family come together, while dealing with grief, healing, and sharing a love for the children, another sort of love between Lily and Sean take shape. As a family come together so do a love between the unlikeliest of people, between people who were living life in different ways but ended up on the same path.

Table For Five takes us on a journey of healing, where grief is overshadowed by love, where a family learns to cope, go on, where memories are celebrated and new ones are made. Here we catch glimpses of the daily lives of such a family, partake in their daily victories, relate to their ups and downs and root for their moments of happiness.

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book starts out you meet Crystal and Derek, neither one of them is very likable, they are so wrapped up in their own issues that they can't see what is wrong with their kids, even when Crystal's best friend and one of the kids teachers tries to point things out.

Next thing we see is the kids at home, after being forgotten about. They are all mad, and as the night goes on you are mad along with them. Then somehow there is a subtle change, you really aren't sure what it is, but the dread sneaks up on you, with each page is gets worse and worse, until you know what is going to happen, but you are really hoping and praying that it won't. Then it does.....and the whole world changes for everyone.

What happens next is very predictable, but as you read it doesn't seem to matter, these characters suck you in. You really want them to be ok, but how does someone bounce back from something like this. Well the answer is you don't, an event like this will leave it's mark on you forever, the best you can hope for is to pull yourself back into some semblance of a life that will work for you in these new circumstances. And that is just what all 5 of these people do. Each of them has their own issues, things from the past that make it hard to deal with the present, but once each and every one of them faces those things and secrets left over they will find they are in a good place. Yes things will never be the same, but happiness can be found again.

[Jimmyjane · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first and favorite Susan Wiggs read- it's a gorgeous, sweet story of children orphaned after a tragic accident and the couple who are entrusted with their care...and what ensues when life goes on, as it does, and these two people who are so opposite in so many ways are thrown together and forced to rely upon and care for each other, first for the sake of the children, and then for their own sakes. Wiggs sure knows how to spin a lovely tale and I'll always treasure this little gem when I need a comforting read.

[Beth Brekke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this out of a Little Free Library knowing this was a popular author. It did get my attention at the start, but unfortunately, it turned out to be your basic, predictable romance novel. Two people brought together by tragedy with some issue or other that makes them feel like they can't be a couple until they finally get over it and get around to it near the end. I concede that I am not a romance reader (did you already guess that?), so if you are, you might love this. For me, it was WAY TOO LONG, repetitive, and had way too much golf (insert puking emoji here). When I do read romance, it's usually Christian romance which this was not. It wasn't vile or pornographic but it could be a bit crass at times. It did have some cute moments, somewhat realistic characters that showed growth and change, and an upbeat ending to score 3 stars for an average read.

[Sarah Parker mcilhenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a little diamond in the rough. If you've ever seen the movie Life As We Know It (I know, a movie compared to a book...), Table For Five was a much better version of it. It deals with grief and love in it's most basic and real form. Divorced parents will their orphaned children to two different people who hardly know each other, can't stand each other, and end up falling in love. There is a lot of golf talk, of which I don't relate to, but it sucked me in anyway because the main character knows nothing about golf which brought this story back to my world. What I loved most was Wiggs' ability to portray sudden shock and grief so accurately; I felt like I was living it.

[Jane Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok if you’re in the mood for women’s fiction about grief and responsibility. I prefer more entertainment.

The publisher’s blurb (on the back of the book) emphasized a cross country road trip with ups and downs, joys and frustrations. I was disappointed that the road trip was a very minor part of the book and toward the end.

My description of the book:
The parents die, leaving three children. Lily is the mother’s best friend. Sean is the father’s brother. Sean becomes legal guardian. Lily spends a lot of time with the children because they need her. There is a lot of grieving, mostly by Lily but also by the two older children who have problems. The point of view is mostly Lily. We are not in Sean’s head and don’t see his grief. But his actions are impressive as he assumes responsibility for the children.

Instead of the road trip, most of the book is grief and thinking about loss. Another part is Lily being the rigid school teacher who is afraid to love. She wouldn’t get a pet because she didn’t want to be hurt when the pet eventually died.

At the end there is a romantic undertone, but not enough to call it romance.

Did I like it? Not really. I wanted a lighter feel, more entertainment. I was hoping for interesting and romantic interaction between Sean and Lily while they were on a road trip. I didn’t get that. It was mostly grief, being responsible, dealing with children’s problems, and watching children improve. The most frequent phrase in the book was Lily saying what is “best for the children.” I was tired of hearing it.

There were some good parts about Sean as a golfer. I enjoyed the golf games and his comeback.

NARRATOR:
The narrator Amy Rubinate has a little girl’s voice. It did not fit the adult teacher (Lily) who was the main point of view. The narrator would be better reading a children’s book or a little girl’s point of view. I’d prefer a different narrator for this book.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 3rd person. Unabridged audiobook length: 13 hrs and 33 mins. Swearing language: moderate but rarely used. Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: two vaguely referred to after the fact. You will miss them if you blink. Setting: current day mostly Oregon. Book copyright: 2005. Genre: womens fiction, grief and family, golf.

[Vickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Table for Five by Susan Wiggs was a wonderful and emotional surprise read. Lily Robinson, an elementary school teacher, and Sean McGuire, a golf pro, have absolutely nothing in common. When a tragedy brings them together for the sake of three children, they join forces to help these children and themselves face life and learn to cope with grief.

I really enjoyed this book. I cried with every chapter until the road trip which is important but the book doesn't center around the road trip. It really is a story of selflessness and emotional growth; how Lily and Sean do what is best for others and not just for themselves. In the process, many characters change and grow despite the loss of parents. I love how the author created a non-traditional family.

Go Cards! L1C4!!

[Sonja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super emotional for me. I absolutely loved one line where Sean said (and I can't quote because I don't have the book, but I can get pretty close)...She'll be our pet for as long as we're meant to have her, and we will love her and enjoy the time we have with her....

I can't give you the context, because that would be a spoiler, but it hit a chord with me and made a connection because I just lost my canine companion of the past 15 years, and it's been really difficult. This made me bawl! But it also made me so thankful for the time that I did have with her.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heart warming story about tragedy that brings two strangers together. Their love of three children helps to bring every one together as a family. I read this book in one day. It was o hard to put down

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book very satisfying. It was not a typical boy meets girl romance novel, it was much more. The people had real problems and the situations felt true. This may be my favorite book by this author.

[Shelley Vanbrunt]

this was the first Susan Wiggs book I read and I have been hooked ever since. She writes about real people living real lives. I cried and laughed.

[Cindy Feigert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have said this before. Susan Wiggs is a great storyteller!Table of Five another winner. A story of family, friendship, grief, marriage and betrayal. But most of all it is a story of love. Lily and Sean will they find happily ever after? I liked Miss Lily because she was an elementary teacher like me. And she knew the power of Charlotte's Web. A children's book for all ages!!! So pour a glass of ice tea or wine or your favorite cocktail and enjoy this story!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was looking for a sweet read, and this one fit the bill perfectly. Despite the premise, I found it to be mostly light hearted/fell good. Charlie and Ashley made this book.

[Kate Vale · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors has done it again. Lily Robinson is a private school 2nd grade teacher. Her best friend's daughter, Charlie, is in her class, but she's failing reading and has been caught stealing. Sean McGuire is Derek's younger brother who's come home from living in Asia after he loses his pro golf career there. The last time Lily and Sean have seen each other is at Derek and Lily's wedding.

However, after Derek and Crystal are killed in a car accident after meeting with Lily about Charlie's school problems, Sean becomes the children's guardian as specified in Derek's will even though Crystal had asked Lily to do so, but never got around to putting it in writing. But she can't desert the children. She remembers Cameron as a sweet child even though he's now an angry 15 year old. And who can possibly ignore the baby, Ashley, not yet two years old. But Lily isn't sure Sean is over his playboy ways and he is convinced she's way too uptight.

Setting aside their personal impressions of the other, they begin to work together to help the children heal. In the process, each of them begins to understand themselves a bit better, too. Although money is going to be an issue soon, Sean turns down an opportunity to play pro golf for a million dollar purse. He refuses to leave the kids or allow them to become pawns of the sponsor who decides to back him. When Cameron begs Lily to get Sean to change his mind, she makes the ultimate sacrifice--giving up her plan to spend the summer in Italy. And what happens on that summer-long trip from one golf course to the next serves the children well until they return home to face the secret Cameron and Charlie know that Sean and Lily don't. When they find out, how they deal with it could destroy the fragile new family they've created out of love for the people who died.

An affecting story that pulls in the reader and refuses to let go until the last page.

[Azuree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third grade teacher Lily Robinson has led a safe life of structure and organization, even her meeting with her best friend Crystal and Crystal’s ex-husband Derek about their daughter’s recent erratic behavior and failing grades is planned out so as not to leave anything to chance. The one thing Lily didn’t plan and never saw coming was the car accident that claimed the lives of Crystal and Derek leaving their three children, Lily’s godchildren, orphans and changing Lily’s outlook on everything. When Derek’s brother Sean, a playboy, has-been golfer is left with custody of the kids, Lily has no choice but to work with Sean to do what’s best for the kids in the wake of the accident. Wiggs’ story and prose are beautiful and heartfelt. Her characters are fleshed out and flawed – from the son who expresses his pain as anger and the daughter who wears her mother’s nightgown every night because she’s afraid of forgetting her to the uncle who has never taken responsibility for anything in his life but jumps in with both feet without thinking twice and the best friend/godmother who opens her heart to a family she was always afraid to need. Although things aren’t always perfect, the Holloway children, Sean and Lily learn more about life and love than any of them could have ever expected. I'm usually not into the romance type books, but I really enjoyed reading this one. The trauma that the children go through after the death of their parents, the growth of the uncle as he takes over as parent to the kids and the romance between the the uncle and godmother kept me entertained throughout the entire book.

[Lavada Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another story that I wish I had more than 5 starts to give. You read so many stories where the main characters are perfect and I have to admit I like escaping into the world of princes and princesses but a story with flawed characters brings real life into play.

In Table For Five a family is born from the tragic deaths of a divorced couple. And none of the characters except maybe the two year old are perfect. The teen and 3rd grader share a secret that was impacting their lives before the accident that took their parents.

Guardianship is awarded to the playboy Uncle who hardly knows the children and didn’t know their mother. Lily (Ms. Robinson) is a reclusive school marm that has vowed not to marry or have children. But she loves the children of her best friend and had agreed to take care of her children if something ever happened to her. To bad the mother didn’t put it in a will and the father did.

Both Sean (uncle) and Lily (best friend) love the children and want to do what’s best for them. However they are ill equipped to handle the angry grieving young family and struggle along. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad to the point of tears, the story pulls you in. This story is about tragedy, courage and incredible love. I fell in love with Sean and Lily and the three children.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in about four days and it was truly a beautiful read. Lily and Sean are such complex characters, each with their own stories and struggles, and together complete each other so nicely. I loved their interactions with the children, Charlie, Cameron, and Ashely, and the love between them develops at a beautiful pace, not too fast and not too slow. Table For Five really does a nice job of telling a story of love, loss, and new beginnings. It’s a story I would definitely read again and thoroughly enjoyed, with some tears shed and a lot of butterflies because of Lily and Sean’s bond.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thirty-something school teacher who values her freedom has her life turned inside out when her best friend along with her ex-husband are killed in a car accident. Lily finds herself being a mother to Crystal's 3 children and her plans for a summer in Europe put on hold. A sweet story with likable characters.

This is the first Susan Wiggs' novel for me and I plan to see what else she has done. It was a compelling story that made me keep telling myself---just one more page and I'll turn out the light.

[Kshydog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good descriptions of the stress for a teacher as well as when there are friendship issues. Realistic events and feelings displayed as a result of divorce / death for both the children as well as relatives and friends. Lack of formal paperwork for when death occurs truly stressed. Glamour of being part of the golf championships told giving both the good and bad of it. Both Lily and Sean displayed good adult behaviors for the sake of the children. Lily overplayed her past as an excuse for her behaviors. At least Sean willing to accept his faults.

[Jaime Stricklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was probably one of the best books Susan Wiggs has written. Although very complex and emotional throughout, the satisfaction gained in the end is well worth it. Even though there was no way to create a perfect "happy ever after", Wiggs showed the power of love to heal and sustain a family. The pain of the past will always remain, but together as a family unit, the future can be filled with happiness.

[Donnie McDow · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was my first book by susan wiggs, i read every night and didn't have a book so went to the community room of my apt. where there are shelves of books and i thought i'd read them all but i found this one and i really enjoyed it. i will probably look for more by her next time i hit the library.

[Rosabelle Purnama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh...
Started out really good and promising, but kinda lose interest after halfway. Story seemed to dragged on too long.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Susan Wiggs is my go-to when I'm having problems finding something to read. So loved this book!

[Zee · Rating 2 out of 5]

If i was a mean person i’d rate this book less than 2 stars because it disappointed me a lot. The story is about 3 kids who are orphaned and then end up under the care of their parental uncle and their mom’s best friend. Although i enjoyed the dynamics between the kids and the main couple, the romance was so weak and underdeveloped. It seemed like they fell out of hate into love suddenly with no progress. Also hero was too mean to heroine for no reason and I’m sorry but I don’t find constantly teasing someone else charming.

While I enjoyed almost all the female characters, I found ALL the male characters to be annoying (including the hero and the teenage son). I hated the dead father so much. He was a horrible man and I can’t believe that some of the men acted like the poor mom was as bad as him. Hero’s hatred towards the mom is pure misogyny and I hate that heroine didn’t punish him for it. If someone spoke about my dead best friend like that, I’d kick them out of my life so quickly. The poor mom deserved so much better. And so did heroine. She settled for hero and his family. I couldn’t buy the hea or hero’s love for her. I saw his love towards her as an extension of his love to the kids and not it’s own thing. He never even romanced her, they didn’t even go on a single date and somehow I’m meant to believe he proposed and they lived hea?

[Katharine. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been deleting books from my library but one author whose work I save is Susan Wiggs. Her books are too good to delete. This book takes on family dynamics, cheating, divorce, children, being an adult and accepting responsibility. A woman determined to stay single, and childless, accepts the needs of three children left in her care. She shares that with their uncle. He is trying to make a comeback as a professional golfer so the five of them travel all over the country for the summer. The sadness, resentment, the hopes and plans that have to change make for a dynamite story. It’s one of her best.

[Mª João Monteiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Livro supostamente "leve", que fala de como lidar com a morte dos mais próximos. Lily é professora do 3° ano e quando a sua amiga Crystal e o ex-marido Derek morrem num acidente de viação vai dar assistência a Sean, meio-irmão de Derek, a quem cabe assegurar a tutoria ddas 3 crianças órfãs, apesar de pouco lidar com os sobrinhos. Os desafios dos 3 miúdos vão ser diferentes e cada elemento desta história lida com a dor de maneira diferente. É uma história interessante em que a dor e os sentimentos estão bem descritos. As crianças são fofinhas e a professora tem a sua própria história anterior de perda para ultrapassar. Lê-se bem, mas não sei traz muito de novo.

[Whit · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this 15 years ago and actually wrote a handwritten thank you note to Susan Wiggs for the book. Fast forward and I found myself staying at a VRBO beach house that turns out to be her guest house! So, of course, I had to reread it. And I had the honor of meeting Susan Wiggs in person, and got to tell her that she made me cry (again) while I sat in her beach and read about Lily and Sean tackling the family life.

[Sharon Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very beautiful, heart-warming story about the way tragedy can become a way for growth and love to change people.